Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all his laws. John Adams, 2nd US president (1735-1826)
Monthly Archives: October 2011
Zentangle Class Show and Tell
Took another Zentangle class with my favorite CZT, Jeanne Paglio at Laurie’s Art Learning Center. The women and young girls in attendance were fun and amazingly creative.
Following are the tangles I produced in our two hours together.
I tend to use lots of curly, loopy patterns, so was happy to find a straight lined pattern that I LOVE. I’m currently reading The Canopy by Angela Hunt. This tile reminds me of a dark rain forest with vines.
I named this tile: Canopy.
When we ‘dropped the string’ for this tile, I made more loops and spaces than any one in the class, so I finished this at home. It reminds me of a meadow in a thunder and lightning storm. The name of this tile: Rainy Meadow.
This little flower was fun to do. I think it would be adorable cut out with a scalloped circle die and used on a card. I titled this tile: Funky Flower.
For this tile, Jeanne challenged us to use our non-dominant hand. A good practice that forces us to use the other side of our brain. It was hard to do, but oh-so satisfying to see the pattern come together as we tangled. When I was finished I felt as though I was looking out of an airplane and seeing the fresh tilled fields of farmland. I titled this tile: Farmland.
Odd how my brain was so focused on the earth when choosing titles for my work.
At the end of class, we were presented with a little ‘wand’. The card reads: To help inspire the Zentangle in you! Relax – Reflect – Renew – Replenish & Reveal (the artist within)
Unlock Your Creativity – Step 5
We’ve reached the final step in Vivian Banta‘s process for Unlocking Your Creativity. (Posted on Creativity For Life!) This step is one we often neglect.
Recognize our achievement.
So often we tend to downplay what we’ve accomplished. We think it’s prideful to toot our own horn. To our own detriment, we dismiss sincere compliments, refusing to believe what we’ve done or are in the process of doing is a big deal.
To let a moment of recognition, either from ourselves or from others, slip past unacknowledged robs us of an opportunity to boost our confidence as we work toward our ultimate goal.
Recognition generates inspiration and motivation and brings us full circle to:
Step 1: Continually choosing to be creative.
Step 2: Looking for ways to expand our horizons.
Step 3: Being brave and taking a leap.
Step 4: Expecting some failures…and growth.
Step 5: Recognize your achievement. Celebrate!
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blue prints of your ultimate accomplishments. Napolean Hill
Unlock Your Creativity – Step 4
As we continue to explore the series of steps suggested by Vivian Banta in her article Unlocking Your Creativity, (posted at Creativity For Life!) have you followed through on Step 3 —
Be brave and take the leap.
If you have, then you may already have first hand experience with Step 4:
Expect some failures… and growth.
Zane Grey
Walt Disney
Jerry Seinfeld
Henry Ford
Lucille Ball
Each struggled and experienced their share of failures before succeeding.
Failure is embarrassing. A blow to our pride. The trauma of failure can stop us in our tracks. However, if we are going to trying something new, failure will be an unavoidable part of our life.
So how can we manage failure, so it doesn’t take away our motivation to try again? So we don’t give up on our dreams?
Stop expecting perfection. Very few things turn out flawless the first time. We learn by failing. Failure is a part of being successful. Success is about dealing with failure.
Through failure we learn and improve. By considering the failure as feedback, we can change strategies and take a different approach. We may have to do this many, many times. Each time will bring us closer to success. Closer to living our dream.
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. -Marilyn Vos Savant
The links for the first three steps in this series:
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Pumpkin Happy Thanksgiving Card
Several more pumpkins have appeared in my house since I posted about our love of all things pumpkin!
I’ve started to put together Thanksgiving cards, so in keeping with the pumpkin theme, I used my Cuttlebug Pumpkin Spice (37-1822) cut and emboss set. I trimmed off the leaf and vine and used just the pumpkin.
The green background is Core’dinations paper embossed with the Crafts Concepts Cottage Floral embossing folder then sanded. I stamped the inside with a Happy Thanksgiving stamp.
♥
Earlier this month I read about an October Challenge to post every day. I’m not participating as a blogger, but I have found some great blogs that I’ll be sharing with you from time to time.
If you’ve enjoyed the Unlock Your Creativity posts I’ve been doing on Wednesdays, check out chatting at the sky. Emily is truly inspiring. Below are two of her posts that struck a cord with me. Enjoy!
Unlock Your Creativity – Step 3
We’ve explored the first two steps for Unlocking Your Creativity (First Step, Second Step) Let’s move on to the third step Vivian Banta suggests in her article posted at Creativity For Life!
Be brave and take a leap
Why do you need courage?
- You may find yourself outside your comfort zone as you face the great ‘Unknown’.
- If you’re learning a new skill, you may not be very good at what you’re attempting. At least not at first. Give yourself time to learn.
- Depending on what you are trying to achieve, you may not have everyone’s support. If your new pursuit cuts into time you would normally spend with them, expect resistance. Chasing your dream can bring others face-to-face with their own unfulfilled dreams.
Jump in! Clear a spot on your calendar so you can sign up for a class. Prepare that proposal then schedule a meeting to present your idea. Get a library card so you can experiment reading a different genre without spending any money.
The October 2011 Prevention magazine reports that researchers at Johns Hopkins conducted a study and found that spontaneity activated the section of the brain associated with the creative “flow” state. The researchers believe that spontaneity can help us discover creative solutions and new ideas in all areas of our lives. So plan a free afternoon. Be open to the possibilities. Be brave and take the plunge.
Two New Zentangle Books
Sometimes when you tangle, don’t you just wish your fav CZT could be sitting with you playing, too?
Certified Zentagle Teacher, Jeanne Paglio, has published two books that are the next best thing to sitting in her studio.
Zentangle Tangling Fun guides you through the basics and the five R’s of tangling.
Tangling in Color inspires you to pull out your markers, colored
pens and pencils.
Both books have plenty of patterns for inspiration and blank shapes printed on the pages for practice and experimentation. A great way to ‘learn by doing’ so you’re sure to love what you create when you work with your official Zentangle tiles.
Below is one of the shapes from Tangling in Color. I drew a string, tangled and accented with my colored pencils. I’m pleased with the results.
Anita K Greene 